Weft-cutting means for automatic weft-replenishing looms



Feb. 16 1926.

D. M. HOLLINS WEFT CUTTING MEANS FOR AUTOMATIC WEFT REPLENISHING LOOMS File J 1 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Invenror Y Denis M. H'ollins WWWJIM Feb. 16 ,1926. 1,572,930

D. M. HOLLINS WEFT CUTTING MEANS FOR AUTOMATIC WEPT REPLENISHING LOOMS Fil June 1 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m 8 v Inventor.

h K r Denis M. HoHins fi- WW Warm Patented Feb 16, 1926,

* ism-3e 1 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

DENIS MACHELL HOLLINS, 0F BLACKBURN, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR T0 DRAPER COR- PORATION, OE HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

WEFT-CUTTIIIG MEANS FOR AU 'IOMATIC WEFT-REPLENISHING LOOMS.

Application filed June 14, 1924. Serial No. 720,021.

To aZZ 107mm it may concern:

Be it known that I DENIS MnoHELL HoL- LINE a subset of Kin Geowe V of Great 7 b 0 It is usual to provide, in an automatic weft-replenishing loom, a shuttle feeler to ascertain that the shuttle has properly entered the box prior to a transfer taking place, and such shuttle feeler has commonly associated with it means to cut at the time of transfer the weft of the exhausted bobbin adjacent the mouth of the shuttle box, and to clamp the severed end. It is also usual to provide, adjacent the selvage, means to cut the weft close to the selvage and for the reason that such means are usually associated with or adjacent the temple, they are commonly referred to as the temple thread cutter. This temple thread cutter is usually arranged to cut the outgoing weft end adjacent'the selvage, and also the newer incoming weft end at the same point. It is desirable that the cutting of the weft ends at the selvage be performed proinptly after a transfer has taken place and this is esp-ecially the case if a weft fork be disposed be tween the temple thread cutter and the shuttle feeler and thread cutter as otherwise the presence of the outgoing and incoming weft ends render the weft fork inoperative, that is to say the weft of the active shuttle maybe broken but the weft fork can not function to stop the loom because it is rocked by the outgoing or incoming weft end, or both.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved construction of temple thread cutter which will normally be in{ operative but which on a transfer, taking place is rendered operatlve and functions to sever simultaneously both the outgolng and supported for incoming weft ends one pick after transfer has taken place, after which it is again put out of operation until the next transfer.

The idea of providing a temple thread cutter which is made operative only at the time of transfer and for a determined period subsequent thereto is not in itself novel but the temple thread cutter and the means for putting it into and out of action, which constitute the present invention are of simpler construction than the devices formerly employed and, by reason of the simultaneous cutting of both the outgoing and incoming'weft ends on the pick following a transfer, the weft fork becomes immediately operative to detect possible breakage of the new weft thus assisting materially in the production] of perfect fabric.

According to the invention the temple head has associated with it a fixed cutting blade with which is adapted to co-operate a movable cutting blade carried by or formed on the rear end of a bar slidably frontward and rearward movement in suitable guides attached to the temple stand, and acted upon by a spring tending to force it rearwardly. The lower edge of the bar has a notch adapted to cooperate with a fixed catch to hold the bar normally in frontward or inoperative position. The forward end of the bar carries a pivotedlutch which is held normally by spring action against a fixed stop and the front face of the latch isbevelled at a suitable angle.

The usual'rock shaft by which indication of weft exhaustion, is conveyed tothe transfer mechanism has mounted upon it an arm or lever which is adapted to cooperate with the pivoted latch referred to, in a manner which will be described later.

A'bowl or stud on the sliding baris embraced by the forkcd upper end of a lever mounted on a fixed pivot, the lower end of such lever being cranked and carrying an adjustable abutment screw. Another lever, also mounted on a fixed pivot, is adapted to be rocked bya cam on a constantly revolving shaft. During normal'running of-the loom' thelever last referred to swings idly, but when, as will be hereinafter described, the bar carrying or constituting the movable cutter blade. is projected rearwardly into Fig. 1.. I V

ated to initiate a transfer, the arm 8 moves operative position, the lever connected with said bar is moved pivotally into a position in which it is engaged by the cam operated lever and the latter acts to move the cutter bar frontwardly, thus severing the weft and at the same time reinstating the said cutter bar into normal inoperative position.

In the accompanying drawing,

Fig. 1 is aside elevation of 'an embodiment of the improved weft cutting mechanism, shewing the parts in normalposition and v Fig. 2 is asimilar view shewing thcsliding cutter bar projected rcarwardly ready to perform its cutting operation on the next appropriate movement of the cam-operated lever.

. Fig. 8 is a plan view of the llleCllttlllSllhOll a reduced scale.

Referring to the drawing, a represents the usual temple, and b the temple head. Associated with the latter is a fixed cutting blade c which, when the lay d is in'forward position approaches closely the reed 6L Slidably supported, for the frontward and'rearwardmovement in guides f, f, attached to the temple stand g, is a bar h having its rear end formed as, or having attached thereto, a cutting blade h. A spring i, secured at oneend to a fixedstud' j and at theother end to a pin is projecting from the bar'h, tends to project the bar rearwardly, as shewn in Fig. 2, in which position the fixed cutting blade is adjacent the front .side of the reed .whilst theinovable cutting blade extends between and behind the dents of the reed. The lower side of the bar h has a notch 7L2 adapted toco-operate with a fixed catch f to holdthebar'normally in frontward, orinoperative position, as shewn in Fig. 1, and asp ring m is provided to press upon thebarand hold the notch'in engagement with the catch.

I At thefront end of the bar h-there is pivoted loosely, on a stud n, a latch on switchcam othe rear face oof which isheld normally against the pin It", by "means of'a spring 3) connecting the saidjp'in witha pin you the switch-cam. The front face o -of the switch-cam 0 is suitably bevelled as shewn for the purpose shortly to be described. i v

The usual rock shaft 7* by which indication of weft exhaustion is conveyed to the transfer mechanism has mounted upon it an arm or lever 3 adapted to co-operate with the switch cam 0. Normally the arm lies rearwardly ofthe switch-cam as shewn in When the rock shaft is operto theposition indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. In so doing, it contacts with the witch-can'i and, moving same pivotally against the spring action, passes to the front side of same, the switch-cam being returned by its spring into contact with the stop pin 73.

As the rock shaft 1" returns to normal position, after the transferhas been effected, the upper end of the arm 8 comes into contact with the bevelled front face 0 of the switch-cam'and by its continued rearward movement presses the switch-cam and, consequentl y'thebarh upwardly, with the result that the notch is removed from the catch fi The spring 2' thereupon projects the bar 72, rearwardly into the operative position shewn at Fig. 2, so that as the lay comes forward the movable cutting blade will extend between the dents of the reed. The outgoing weft end extending-from the selva'geto' the exhausted bobbin, and th'e' incoming weft end extending from the s'elvage to the weft end holder on the maga-z in'e, will thus lie between the fixed and movable cutting blades and frontward inovementiof the bar it at the appropriate time will causesuch weft ends to be severed adjacent the s'elvage.

To effect this forward movement of the bar h, a stud'or bo'wllt projecting laterally from the bar" is embraced by the upper forked end a of alever amounted on ai'i'xed pivot of The lower end of this lever u cranked as at n andvcarries an adjustable abutment screw a A lever w, conveniently also mountedon the pivot '0, is'ad apfed to be rocked by a cam a on an appropriately and constantly revolving shaft g whic h may be'thetapp'et shaft of the loom,

,lVhenthe cutter bar his in' its normal frontward or inoperative position, the lever a1) 'acti'iated'without moving the lever a,

aswill be understood from Fig. 1, but when the cutter bar is projected rearwardly as shewn in i'g. 2, the consequent rocking of the lever u on its pivot carries the abutment screw into afposition in which it will be engaged by the lever to as the latter is swung upwardly. @n the next succeeding revolu- ,tlOll of the cam 50', therefore, the lever a is rocked and carries the cutter bar 'h frontwardly and causes the'weft ends at this time extending from 'the' selvage to be severed. The cam is so shaped as to carry the notch 7L2 slightly beyond the catch f. so that the spring on pressing upon the bar It causes the notch to engage with the catch, and the bar to bethus retained'in frontward inoperative position.

The temple thread cutter, having performed itsdesiredfunction, of cutting both the outgoing and incoming weft ends on the pick next following the transfer of a newbobbin, remains oiit of action until released by the next actuation of rocking transfer shaft '1, thecam-operated lever 10 meanwhile making its swinging movements idly without coming into contact with the abutment screw a of lever u] Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In an automatic filling replenishing loom, a temple thread cutter having relatively movable thread cutting means, means tending to place said thread cutting means inoperative position, means for holding the thread cutting means in inoperative position during the normal operation of the loom, means, operable by the mechanism for :hanging the operation of the loom during its restoration to normal position after call for ransfer, to release said thread cutting 11 cans from inoperative position and means for actuating the thread cutting means when released to cause the same to sever the filling ends extending from the selvage upon the first pick after transfer andthereupon to restore said thread cutting means to inoperative position.

2. In an automatic filling replenishing loom, a temple thread cutter having relatively movable thread cutting means, means tending to place said thread cutting means in operative position, means for holding the thread cutting means in inoperative position during the the normal operation of the loom, means, operable bythe mechanism for changing the operation of the loom during its restoration to normal position after call for transfer, to release said thread cutting means from inoperative position and continuously operated means acting in synchro-- nism with the movement of the lay to cause said thread cutting means, when released, to sever the filling ends extending from the selvage upon the first pick after transfer and thereupon to restore said thread cutting means to inoperative position.

In an automatic filling replenishing loom, a temple thread cutter having a fixed blade and co-operating. spring actuated movable blade, means acting normally to hold said movable blade in inoperative po sition againstthe force of its spring, means operable by the movement of the controller rod during its movement to normal position after transfer to release said movable blade and means for actuating said movable blade blade, an arm on the controller rod of the loom positioned to engage and pass freely beneath the switch cam when moved in one direction upon call for transfer and to engage said switch 'cam and release said mov able blade during its movement in the opposite direction after call for transfer and means for actuating the released movable blade to cause it to sever the fillingends upon the first pickafter transfer and there upon to restore said movable blade to in operative position.

In an automatic fillin replenishing loom, a temple thread cutter having a fixed blade and a (Jo-operating spring actuated movable blade having a notch positioned to engage a member rigid with the temple stand and to retain said movable blade in inoperative position against the action of its spring, a switch cam on said movable blade, an arm on the controller rodof the loom positioned to engage and pass freely beneath the switch cam when moved in one direction upon call for ransfer and to engage said switch cam and release said movable blade during its movement in the opposite direction after call for transfer and means including a continuously rotating cam for actuating the released movable blade to cause it to sever the filling ends upon the first pick after transfer and also to restore the movable blade to inoperative position.

6. In an automatic filling replenishing loom, a temple thread cutter having a fixed blade and a co-operating spring actuated movable blade having a notch positioned to engage a member rigid with the temple stand and to retain said movable blade in inoperative position against the action of its spring, a switch cam on said movable blade, an arm on the controller rod of the loom positioned to engage and pass freely beneath the switch cam when moved in one direction upon call for transfer and to engage said switch cam and release said movable blade during its movementin the opposite direction after call for transfer, a bell crank lever having one arm pivotally engaging said movable blade, an oscillating lever posi tioned to engage the other arm of said bell crank lever upon release of said spring actuated movable blade and operable when so engaged to actuate said movable blade and also to restore the same to inoperative position.

7. In an automatic filling replenishing loom, a temple thread cutter, means, operable by the mechanism for changing the operation of the loom during its restoration to normal position after call for transfer, to place the thread cutter in operative position and means operable to cause the positioned thread cutter to sever the filling ends extending from the selvage upon the first pick after transfer and thereupon to render the thread cutter inoperative until after the next call for transfer.

8. In an automatic filling replenishing loom, a temple thread cutter having relatively movable thread cutting means, means for holding the thread cutting means in inoperative relation during the normal operation of the loom, a cam rotating in synchronism with the movement of the lay, means for actuating said thread cutter from said cam normally maintained out of operative relation to said cam and means operable by themechanisin for changing the operation of the loom during its restoration to normal position after. callfor transfer to render said thread cutter operative and to position its actuating means in operative relation to said cam,whereby the actuation of said thread cutter by saidcam will cause the same to'sever the filling ends extending from the selvage upon the first pick after transfer and will thereupon restore the thread cutter to-inoperative position.

9. In an automatic filling replenishing loom, a temple thread cutter having a fixed blade and a relatively movable blade, means for holding the fixed blade ininoperative position during the normal operation of the loom, means for actuating said movable blade including .a cam and a lever connected to saidblade and held out of operative relation to said cam when said movable blade is held ininoperative position and means operable by the mechanism for changing the operation of the loom during its restoration to normal position after cal for transfer to release said movable blade and to in operati ve relan. at HOLLINS. 

